The city of Fairbury will soon see a new ice cream and coffee shop join the small roster of food service establishments in town. Along with his stepdaughter Jaden, Rod Schoenrock, a veteran of many other restaurants in town, announced this week that he will be debuting J&R's Cones and Coffee later this summer. 
 
"It's going to be a small, intimate place where people can come in and have some premium ice cream, sit down and visit with each other, and stay out of the heat in the summer and stay out of the snow in the winter," Schoenrock said.
 
Schoenrock has had a long career in the food service industry in Southeast Nebraska. His first job was at the Fairbury A&W in 1974 when he was 12 - a few years later, he and his mother purchased and ran the place. He worked in the kitchen at the Fairbury country club and in a pizza restaurant downtown before owning both Griffey's and Rowdy's - two of the town's few restaurant options - at different stages in the 2000s.
 
He's "semi-retired" now, he said, but is hoping this new endeavor can become a family affair, just like his first job at the A&W was. 
 
"I want it to be a fun place that mom and dad can bring the kids, or grandma and grandpa can come in, young people coming from the swimming pool can stop in and get an ice cream cone - just something that's for everybody," Schoenrock said.
 
There are still some boxes left to check before the ice cream can actually be served, such as installing the equipment, finalizing the plumbing, and working with the fire and health departments, but Schoenrock says he's hoping to officially debut the new establishment in July.
 
J&R's Cones and Coffee will be located at 506 C Street, the site of the former Parklane Plaza, just off the downtown square in Fairbury, and will be open to serve ice cream and coffee all year round starting later this summer.